February 15, 2010

Kids and Guns Revisited

In my last commentary I talked about an incident at Valley View involving a 12 year old bringing a firearm to school. This week it’s a six year old at Westside. While two incidents do not make an epidemic, as adults we have got to take this to heart. Every time I talk about guns in this forum, I am undoubtedly painted as an advocate for gun control. I’m not. As citizens of this country, it is our right to keep and bear arms. But as gun owners it is our responsibility to keep our children from bearing those arms in the wrong place. Let’s look at this by the numbers:

34% of children in the U.S. live in homes with at least one firearm.

The RAND Corporation, "Guns in the Family: Firearm Storage Patterns in U.S. Homes with Children," March 2001.

Among homes with children and firearms, 40% had at least one unlocked firearm and 13% kept their unlocked firearm loaded or stored with ammunition.

The RAND Corporation, "Guns in the Family: Firearm Storage Patterns in U.S. Homes with Children," March 2001.

Among gun-owning households with children:

·28% do not always keep guns locked in a secure place.

·25% only "occasionally" lock and store the bullets separately from the gun.

·48% do not regularly make sure that guns are equipped with child safety or other trigger locks.

Peter Hart Research, "Americans’ Attitudes on Children’s Access to Guns: A National Poll for Common Sense about Kids and Guns," July 1999.

·47% of high school students said they could obtain a gun if they wanted to, while 22% of middle school students said they could get a firearm.

oJosephson Institute of Ethics, "2000 Report Card: The Ethics of American Youth," April 2001.

And this one here is the most telling:

·72% of parents think their child is not likely to handle a gun without their permission. –

Peter Hart Research, "Americans’ Attitudes on Children’s Access to Guns: A National Poll for Common Sense about Kids and Guns," July 1999

Last week I asked you to talk to your children about doing the right thing, this week I’m asking you to do the right thing. Lock up your guns. Keep them out of children’s hands unless you are there with them. And for pete’s sake, let’s keep them out of our schools. It will make this a safer and Better Region 8.

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I think that in these situations the kids as well as the parents should be punished. I am one of the survivors of the 1998 shooting at westside middle school, parents need to take more responsibilty and make sure that all of their firearms are properly locked away.